Man attacked while riding on popular bike trail

MCCORMICK, S.C. (WRDW) -- A man was attacked and nearly sexually assaulted while riding his bike along a popular trail. He told deputies he was riding his bike when he tripped on a rope strung across the path and three men attacked him.

McCormick County deputies were called to the Stevens Creek bike trails in Modoc around 10 o'clock Saturday night.

To John Drummond, these trails are his second home. He solely relies on his bicycle to get around, and he takes it everywhere he said. He's part of an organization called SORBA CSRA.

"We, the group, are out there all the time. We do the maintenance," Drummond said.

It's a tight knit group, so when one member posted something disturbing on Sunday, word traveled fast. Drew Jordan is also a member of the group and has been an avid cyclist for years. "I was shocked... I couldn't believe it," Jordan said.

The post is from a woman who claims her husband was attacked Saturday night. It says he had been riding around on the FATS trails, when he decided to switch to the Stevens Creek Trail before heading home. But it was when he was riding those trails that he hit a rope, he fell off of his bike, hit his head and lost consciousness. When he woke up there were three men standing over him, all dressed completely in camouflage.

The post claims the attackers said, "those woods were for hunters only" and "he was going to learn tonight." Cyclists have run into some problems with hunters in the area before, Jordan said. "Roofing nails in the parking lot or tacks but never something where its a violent attack on one person," he said.

Typically the trails are closed to mountain bikers during hunting season, so the groups rarely overlap. The fact that it is not currently hunting season makes this situation even more bizarre according to Jordan.

The victim told police he was able to get away, but not before one of the men shot at him. That victim claims, he pulled out his 40 glock and fired right back. Since the attack, it's made Jordan rethink his biking habits.

But Drummond says, they won't keep him off of the trails. "It was a random event, I don't think it's any organized group, I think it was three nuts," Drummond said.

McCormick County deputies and U.S. Forestry Law enforcement officers were at the trails today, patrolling the area. As of right now, there is no description of the attackers. All the victim could describe to deputies were three white males all wearing camouflage. They are continuing to investigate the area for more evidence.

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Lindsay's passion for news started at a very young age. She was only in elementary school when she began her journey in the broadcast industry as a host for the morning announcements. She continued broadcasting all throughout high school, hosting the morning announcements and producing news segments that aired on local channels. She even announced an Atlanta Brave's game in seventh grade.